Ripped from the Headlines: May 2026: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 24–May 30, 2026

Pope Leo's first formal letter, addressed to "all people of good will," focused on the need to protect human agency as artificial intelligence (AI) looms larger in the world. The formal letter, known as an encyclical, is a Roman Catholic tradition; the pope uses it to address a specific moral, religious, or social topic. Leo focused on the effects of AI as it replaces human workers and the importance of ensuring that people continue to have the power to make choices about their own lives.

Astronomers say that a proposed Next Generation Very Large Array, which would consist of 263 radio antennas, would help them continue to explore the cosmos over the coming decades. If it receives funding, the impressive collection of antennas will be spread across New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and northern Mexico. Together, this group of large astronomical instruments will be particularly useful for studying the gases that form stars and planets throughout the universe.

Experts say that European vineyards, apiaries, and truffle farms have an unexpected, fortuitous effect on the land around them — leaving the regions better defended against wildfires. The lucky benefit is due to several factors: Grapevines don't burn easily, and the plants are spaced widely. Also, when farmers raise bees or grow truffles in remote areas, they're motivated to manage the surrounding forest responsibly. The Latin root of fortuitous is forte, "by chance."

Legendary jazz saxophonist Theodore "Sonny" Rollins died at the age of 95. Rollins got his first saxophone at age 13 and became intrigued by the new, improvisational style of music known as bebop. By his late teens, he was playing professionally. Rollins collaborated with jazz icons including Thelonius Monk, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. Jazz began as baseball slang to describe "peppy," hard-to-hit balls. It began being used for the musical genre around 1915.

New research in Australia shows that a reduced workweek results in happier and more productive workplaces. In the two-year trial, 15 companies enacted a four-day workweek, allowing employees in various industries to complete their usual amount of work in 80 percent of the time. Just one of the businesses went back to a five-day week; six reported that their workers accomplished even more in fewer hours. All 15 said there was a marked increase in morale and no drop in productivity.

Three Chinese astronauts are aboard the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft en route to the country's space station, one of them for a year-long visit. China hasn't specified which of the three is planning for a protracted stay, but it will be one of the longest single sojourns in the history of space exploration. The mission will include testing a long-duration spaceflight to "explore human adaptability." The Latin root of protracted means "to draw forth or prolong."

The 98th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee kicked off in Washington, D.C., this week. Participants from all 50 states, between the ages of 9 and 15, competed to show off their prowess at spelling complicated words. More than 240 competitors were whittled down to nine accomplished finalists battling for the Spelling Bee trophy and the glory of being named the preeminent young speller in the United States. Prowess shares a Latin root with the word proud.

A woman was paragliding in the Austrian Alps when a small plane hit her glider and sent her spiraling out of control. As she fell, circling wildly in the air thousands of feet above the ground, the paraglider's helmet camera caught the entire incident, including when she calmly deployed her emergency parachute and then landed on her feet. Both the woman and the plane's pilot were unharmed in the incident. The Greek root of spiral, speira, means "a winding or twist."

A state of emergency was declared in Garden Grove, California, after a tank containing a flammable chemical cracked and began to bulge outward. The tank contains about 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a volatile liquid used in aerospace manufacturing. The potentially explosive situation triggered the evacuation of 50,000 residents before firefighters were able to cool and stabilize the chemical. A similar incident in 2009 ended in a sudden blast that destroyed a U.K. factory.

An unexpected passenger was discovered on a cargo ship when it docked in the Port of New York in February — a little red fox that had boarded in Southhampton, England. The vulpine stowaway has been quarantined at the Bronx Zoo for a parasitic infection ever since. Now he finally has a clean bill of health, as well as the name Basil. Zoo officials are currently deciding if they'll keep him or send him to a fox sanctuary. The Latin root of vulpine is vulpes, "fox."